Income Gap in College Participation Persists

WASHINGTON--Since the late 1970's, low-income students have not made
up any ground on their higher-income peers in the rate at which they
attend college, a new study concludes.

The study, "Parental Income and College Opportunity,'' was released
here last month by the Democratic Study Center, which commissioned the
report.

"These data provide us with a very disturbing picture of how
American society has changed in recent years,'' said Rep. Bob Wise,
D-W.Va., and the president of the center. "During a period in which a
college education has become a passkey for earning a middle-class
standard of living, the opportunity to get that passkey has become
increasingly unequal.''

"I think this is a real blow to having the kind of society we
Americans pride ourselves on--a society in which who you are is
determined by merit and hard work instead of what neighborhood you grew
up in or what kind of job your old man had,'' Mr. Wise added.

The study, conducted by Charles F. Manski, a professor of economics
at the University of Wisconsin, found that college-going and
degree-attainment rates continue to be closely correlated to the income
of a student's family.

In the late 1980's, according to the study, 44 percent of youths
from families in the lowest one-fifth of income range, 62 percent of
youths from families in the middle quintile, and 79 percent of youths
from families in the highest quintile were enrolled in college.

The study drew on data from the Current Population Survey between
1970 and 1988, the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class
of 1972, and the High School and Beyond survey.

Four-Year Colleges

The study found that the distribution of enrollments at two-year
institutions was relatively similar across all income groups. In the
late 1980's, 16 percent of youths from families in the lowest quintile,
20 percent of youths from families in the middle quintile, and 17
percent of youths from families in the highest quintile were enrolled
in two-year colleges.

Greater disparities were found in enrollments at four-year colleges
and private colleges.

In the late 1980's, 20 percent of the youths in the lowest-income
quintile, 29 percent of those in the middle quintile, and 40 percent of
those in the highest quintile were enrolled in four-year public
colleges.

The breakdown by income of students enrolled in private high schools
nearly matched that of students enrolled in private four-year colleges
in the late 1980's, the study found.

According to the study, the chance that a high school senior from
the highest quintile was enrolled in a private school was about 3 times
greater than that of a youth from the lowest quintile.

Enrollment Distribution Stable

Moreover, the enrollment distribution has changed relatively little
over time, the study concludes.

In the period from 1975 to 1979, the percentage of youths enrolled
in two- or four-year public colleges whose family incomes were in the
bottom quintile was 35 percent, the study said. That percentage dropped
to 30 percent for the years 1981 to 1984 and then rose to 36 percent
for the period 1985 to 1988, it said.

Meanwhile, the percentage of youths from families in the
middle-income quintile was 41 percent for 1975-79, 42 percent for
1981-84, and 49 percent for 1985-88.

For families in the highest quintile, the percentage was 49 percent
for 1975-79, 54 percent for 1981-84, and 57 percent for 1985-88.

For private colleges, the percentage of youths enrolled increased
moderately from the late 1970's to the late 1980's for all groups--from
7 percent to 9 percent for the lowest quintile, from 10 percent to 14
percent for the middle quintile, and from 21 percent to 22 percent for
the highest quintile, the study said.

The report concluded that income affects the attainment of a
bachelor's degree even more than it does college enrollment.

By 1986, the study said, 12 percent of the students who graduated
from high school in 1980 from families with incomes in the lowest
quintile received a degree, compared with 24 percent from the middle
quintile, and 39 percent from the highest quintile.

Ground Rules for Posting
We encourage lively debate, but please be respectful of others. Profanity and personal attacks are prohibited. By commenting, you are agreeing to abide by our user agreement.
All comments are public.